Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-15
IHE GOLD FEVER OF 40.
The Speck of Yellow Metal That Started
the Great Excitement,


The Speck of Yellow Metal That Started
the Great Excitement,
The original cause of the great Califor-
MIA gold feVer-the first fever germ-isa at
the National Museum. 1t is securely
sealed in a little glass bottle, and there is
no longer any danger of Contagion, &C
cording to the Washington Star. 1t is
little fattened piece OF gold about the
size of 8 gold dollar. 1t is the piece found
by Marshall while digging q mill race the
year before the fever set in. 1t was sent
direct to the Smithsonian in August,
1913. The following is copy OF the let
ter that accompanied it:
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. %, IS4S.-This paper
contains the first piece of gold ever discovered
in northern part of Upper California. 1t was
shall, in the race of Captain John a. Suffers
sawmill about forty five miles from Suffers
Fork, on the south branch OF the American
Fork, 1t was beaten out with a hammer by Mr.
Marshall to test It's malleabillty. 1t is presented
to the National Institute, Washington. ID. G.
j. L. FOLSOM.
J. L. Folsom was g captain in the
United States service. There are many
pieces of gold in California claimed to be
the first found, but none OF them have
the facts in favor of their claim. The dis
covery of this piece Of gold by Marshall
led TO the search for more, and it was
found. 1t was the seed that up to 1880
had produced 1900, 000,O 600 in gold
Prior to this discovery Indians and g
few missionary priests had been collect
ing some gold in other parts of TIE
state, but this was the very first piece
found in the gold belt, and it led to the
great rush TO California il 40.
DR.. r. M. Dawes, the dentist Of West
Washington, was one OF the forty miners
who started out from Washington. He
was talking over the matter with Star
reporter for little while last evening.
"a party of us" he said, ''took sail
ing vessel at Baltimore in March, and
we were seven months and fourteen days
making the trip to San Francisco. There
were my brother and ex-senator Sargent,
then G local reporter in Washington,
one or two other Washington boys, and
myself: and there were quite number
of others from Baltimore to make
up the party. That was the
way Sargent first went to the state ne
afterwerd represented in the Senate. We
had pretty hard voyage. The captain
of the vessel treated US so badly that
when we got to Rio de Jsneiro we COM
planned to the Consul and had him re-
moved. This caused a delay OF fourteen
days. Then at Valparaiso we had to
unload steam engine and other cargo,
which caused q delay of twenty days
more. 1t was very weary voyage before
we got to San Francisco. Sargent did
not go all the way with us, He got off
at Valparaiso, and from there sailed to
San Francisco in another vessel l re-
member that ne studied Spanish all the
way from Baltimore TO Rio de Janeiro.
"When we arrived at San Francisco
several of our party who were carpenters
stopped there. They got Sic day for
working at their trade there, aud thought
it better than taking the chances in the
mines. There were SIX in my party Who
went into prospecting. Everything was
fever and excitement there then. All
sorts Of sensational reports of big finds
were circulated, but tcere was not as
much outlawry as many people suppose.
In San Francisco there was considerable
gambling. 1t was not much of q city
then. All the buildings were frame, and
the gambling houses were like the frame
barracks they put up for soldiers. The
gaming-rooms were in front end the bar
in the rear. Gamblers would pay $50 q
night for each table. They never counted
the money, but just stacked it up on the
table and measured it in that way. The
gamblers were the only men who wore
white shirts.
"There were no courts. II q man com
mitted an offense in the diggings ne was
tried by twelve men selected for the coca
sion and their decisions were prompt and
just. For that reason there were few
crimes committed. Our gold was left in
camp without anyone TO guard it and it
was never stolen. ! would sometimes
leave days digging5 in pan out in the
sun TO dry. No one ever DISTURBED it.
For serious crimes the jury of twelve
would hang man; for petty larceny
they would norsewhip man and give him
twenty-four hours to get out of camp. If
man sunk pit and threw q pick or
shovel IN it, he could go on prospecting,
and If he returned any time within ten
days he would find his claim to the dig
gings respected.
when our party landed" he con-
tinued, eve went to SACRAMENTO, where !
we got three yoke of oxen and wagon
that had come overland, and started for
the diggings, well stocked with provi- |
sions. We went first to South Fork, then |
to North Fork or Feather river. There |
was so much mud that we had TO abandon |
our cattle and wagon and carry our packs |
on our backs. We did pretty Well. but
was sick and had to keep out of the |
trenches and give up mining for while. |
When we dissolved partnership at North |
Fork sack Of -four fell to my share, and